I really enjoyed the fan-girl portrayal - it was fun and kinda made me feel not so alone in having an obsession deemed inappropriate by the society I live in. What *did* unfortunately disappoint me though was that the fan-girling was mostly forgotten once the MCs got together and the celebrity never found out about her, which was kind of disappointing.
In regards to cliches, I didn't mind the cliched plot twist about the MCs childhoods, as many apparently did. It's a romantic comedy *shrugs* it's gonna have cliches. And in comparison to other rom-coms, the cliches included were well handled.
But what really needs to be noted and taken away from this drama wasn't the plot. It was the characters. Her Private Life is truly character driven and it's a mature watch. Forgiveness and acceptance were large topics in this drama that were handled very maturely with little to no drama, which was refreshingly clean and quick to watch. There were also quite a few steamy scenes (our main actors have some amazing chemistry) that I must sheepishly admit had me completely enamored. I also really appreciated that the "love triangle" wasn't unnecessarily drawn out or petty. It was neat and the second leads dropped out gracefully.
The ending....hmm...I think the last 2 episodes were necessary to tie-up loose ends, but they *did* drag quite a bit in comparison to the pace of the rest of the drama. I could have easily forgotten or lost interest to watch the last episode and still had a general idea of what happened in "the end." And for some reason, I get a Coffee Prince feel for the ending. *shrugs*
What kept me watching this drama in binge-style viewing over 3 days was the laugh-out loud comedy (I literally replayed certain hysterical scenes multiple times just to laugh again), the quick pace, and the extremely well selected actors for our MCs (their chemistry was through the roof and I couldn't help but eat it up! :*}). Her Private Life isn't a must-see and it *does* have its flaws, but enjoyable and infatuating just the same.
**Side Note:
I know that some people have often mentioned and criticized how the female MC's best friend treated and regarded her husband poorly as well as found the extreme fan-girls to be beyond extreme and borderline criminal. I acknowledge these 2 points and absolutely deem them valid. I would just like to say that they didn't stick out much to me because the genre of drama has certain tropes, characters, and cliches that I am personally expecting. Honestly, these 2 criticisms, while valid, are the much preferred plot devices compared to some other, more extreme and/or cruel plot devices I've seen employed in dramas before, which is why I didn't mention them in depth above.
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FLuffy office rom-com fun
An art gallery curator—posh, cultured, professional, etc.—is also a die-hard K-pop fan and photographer who runs a famous online fan site for a particular idol singer. Her job and her hobby clash violently, culture- and topic-wise, so she keeps them 100% separate and hidden from each other. Our female lead gets a new boss—cold, arrogant, aloof, the usual—from whom she desperately tries to keep her hobby a secret. But mostly she just ends up accidentally looking incompetent and revealing too much info—oops! Their paths start to intersect with her K-pop idol, with his dangerously passionate young fandom, and with other characters whose sole purpose is to create ridiculous levels of drama. A little deeper commentary around adoption, art, and abandonment, but mostly just a fun, sweet ride.Was this review helpful to you?
The story is not solid and is quite unrealistic if you'd ask me, and the acting was so-so. I feel like they tried to make this drama similar to What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, but failed to do so.
Now if you'd ask me why I would recommend you to watch this drama, I'd say that Kim Jae Wook is the reason. His character is not an asshole unlike most men in K-drama world and I think that's enough reason to watch this for a breath of fresh air.
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A fun and heartwarming story
I absolutely LOVED this drama!!!! It started off lightheartedly and funny, almost even silly with her hiding her real identity and her Private life from everyone. Towards the end it actually got deeper and sadder. One of the dramas I cried the most!!! It broke my heart sooooo much!!!! Seeing the final picture that was missing with the boy aka Yun Jae on it, Duk-Mi’s story of loosing her brother and her memory at the same time and just how they were all connected since their childhood. Of course, very unrealistic like what are the odds of that happening? But that’s such a popular K-Drama trope and tbh it’s one of my favorites 😂😂😂The side characters were also all super cool especially her bestie and Eun-Gi. I was annoyed a bit at him for a while especially when he was trying to break the main couple apart but I quickly went back to liking him! However, his romantic feelings towards Duk-Mi were not neccessary. I wish they would have kept him as her fake brother and given him another second female love interest (which I hope is NOT Hyo-jin 😰😰😰)
I was definitely rooting all for Ryan Gold 😍😍😍 I was whipped for him the second I saw him at the auction!!! omg!!! Yes I want it!!! 😂 Kim Jae-Wook is so hot and his acting is superb!!! his dreamy eyes and the voice omg!!!
Some critique point was the amount of accidents used as a cause for tragedy in both sides: Yun-Jae’s mom getting into an accident and not making it to pick up her son and then Duk-Mi and her brother getting into an accident and Duk-Su dying… That was a bit too many accidents for my taste…
But all in all really amazing drama with beautiful quotes, music and characters!!!
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It was an okay watch. I loved the first five or so episodes as it's fun, refreshing and the main lead's chemistry is on point. It explores what exteme fangirling is like in a light hearted way. But then it is extremely slow paced, boring at times and I fast forwarded last episodes as there is nothing much happening. It also have the second lead syndrome which I'm absolutely dreadful of after watching a lot of kdramas including it. Also I wish dramas stop including the factor that the leads are destined to be together as they knew each other from childhood and then something happens they loose their memories then they meet again when they are old. Common I think it's time to stop it seriously,! But overall the leads have great chemistry it feels so real at times and if you are looking for a light hearted romcom go for it! Was this review helpful to you?
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Romance for Days!
This was mostly enjoyable and this just made me realize how much Park Min Young is stellar. The whole cast was good but she is a star for a reason. She is efforlessly, funny, sweet, and likeable. Kim Jae Wook was pefectly cast as the Korean born American raised Ryan Gold. He and PMY have some of the best chemistry I've seen on screen. Their scenes together were funny and fire! The other standout in the acting category is Kim Sun Young she played director Ohm brillantly. I have never scene her in anything else but this made me a total fan. I also love the wardrobe departments bold choices for her character.What this drama did right for me is that there was not too much drama or push and pull and it was the better for it. The leads worked thru their issues by talking instead of shutting down. I mean Duk Mi did do something stupid but it was wrapped up quickly so I'm forgiving her stupidy. They also, nail the obnoxious fan behavior to a T.
What I did not like was the unnecessary childhood trauma to an already traumatic situation re the leads. It didn't elevate the story at all; it didn't even make effing sense. But overall this series was just what I wanted and needed in the romance department!
8/22/23
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The main couple should do more projects together!
Little Geon Woo was the MVP of this drama. So freaking adorable! He stole all the scenes he was in.Also loved the friendship between Duk Mi and Seon Joo. It was very genuine and realistic. At times I wanted to fangirl with them.
Besides that, this was another typical romance with some twists thrown in to tug at your heartstrings.
Good OST, great chemistry, quite a bit of physical affection between the leads and a nice enough story to keep my interest (and one of the BEST kissing scenes I've ever seen in a k-drama).
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Muito fofo
Este drama é o cumulo da fofura. Eu me senti tão bem enquanto assistia, os personagens são fofos, o romance é incrível. O drama é repleto de tramas e personagens interessantes. Eu adorei os personagens secundários, principalmente a Sindy, no inicio eu odiava, mas depois de um tempo eu comecei a realmente gostar dela. Apesar de amar a Sindy, eu não posso dizer o mesmo sobre a mãe dela, eu ODEIO ela. Ela me tira do sério e me enlouquece, o jeito excessivamente calmo e lento com que ela fala me irritou demais. O casal é incrível e sem igual. Enfim, um romance muito fofo que vale a pena assistir.Was this review helpful to you?
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It's Ryan not Lion
This was a fun little drama. Somethings were overdone like the bitchy boss and childhood storyline but other than that the romance storyline really overpowered all my complains.The main reason I watched it when it came out because of the fangirl summary and back then me being a huge fan of certain idol group lol. So to me, Dukmi was highly relatable with her full time job and still continuing her fangirling.
At the beginning they portrait Ryan as this rude full of himself guy but when the show progressed and we see how Ryan was really just a polite, charming absolute softie you cannot help but fall for him.
Both Dukmi and Ryan start out with misunderstanding to then become colleagues and then start a fake relationship which spirals and as we all know the trope they end up falling for each other.
Would watch this again 100%
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Sexy Mature Relationship
Very well done. This was a fun series that had its twists and turns. The different art curator/k-pop fan element. felt fresh. Both ML (Kim Jae Wook) and FL (Park Min-Young) did a very good job in feeling relatable and believable within various situations. The roller-coaster of emotions with this series just kept coming. However, I must admit that they did not feel forced. You could see and feel the natural progression with the ML and FL and it made you root for them all the way through. The supporting cast was very good, and I appreciate that their storylines did not override the main. OST was memorable. This is worth the rewatch!Was this review helpful to you?
? Fangirl Goals | ? Mature Romance | ? Legendary Kiss | ? Minimal Jealousy
Not gonna lie — after watching this drama, I fully decided I'd rather be a fangirl than someone’s girlfriend ?.This one is definitely on the hotter side of K-dramas, and their first kiss? OMG. Easily one of the best kisses in K-drama history. (And trust me, I’ve watched a lot in the past 6 years — I don’t say that lightly.)
If you're into mature romance, sizzling chemistry, and characters who actually communicate like adults, this one’s for you. Also, props to the writers for dedicating only like 30–45 minutes to the usual “stupid jealousy” trope — we love efficiency.
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The acting, characters, and the chemistry between the two leads is where the show really shines. In fact, the acting was so good that it made the not so interesting parts easier to swallow. Her Private Life also has really likeable characters, I can't think of one character that I thought was poorly written/developed or was just irritating.
And well, the chemistry between Park Min-young and Kim Jae-wook felt so natural and right that they made it seem so effortless, almost as if they weren't really acting.
Her Private Life gets a solid 7.5. The story unfortunately gradually gets weaker and harder to like but the acting, which is simply amazing, and the chemistry between the two leads is so strong, it makes HPL rather enjoyable.
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